Virtual Reality Gets a Sense of Feeling

Virtual Reality has progressed immensely in the past few years. It has the ability to take you anywhere you want to go, without actually going anywhere. These machines allow you to take a walk in another man’s/woman’s shoes, allowing you you to see what they see.  As the technology grows, we are seeing, and now feeling what Virtual Reality can really bring to the table.

Whirlwind VR, a Virtual Reality startup company has created the Vortx, a machine to aid VR user’s experiences by controlling heat and air movement around the user. The Vortx stands 14 inches tall. Its sphere shape has a vent that allows bursts of compressed air to be shot out towards the user. Also, the bursts of air can be adjusted and can reach up to 99 degrees that can be adjusted for gameplay.

The Vortx was featured at GDC 2016 where users were able to watch a simulated battle of Clash of Clans. The simulation placed users in the middle of a battle, allowing users a 360-degree view and the feeling of being in the heat of battle. Users described that they were able to feel things breeze past them as they watched as arrows flew by. Some even suggested they could feel the heat from the dragon’s fire breathing.

Whirlwind VR is set to begin crowdfunding for a consumer model later this year. Creators can preorder kits for $299 for development of games and usage. The Vortx brings added enhancements to Virtual Reality world, giving users another sense to use during game play.